4-legged mommies: mammals with the longest and shortest pregnancies

Nine months is enough for us to nurture a fetus, but what about our friends in the wild? Some species are baby-making machines, and others are pregnant for almost two years! Here’s a list of mammals covering a wide range of gestation periods:

  • Opossum: 12 days
  • Rabbit: 31 days
  • Dog: 61 days (varies slightly depending on breed)
  • Cat: 63 days (varies slightly depending on breed)
  • Lion: 108 days
  • Pig: 113 days
  • Sheep: 150 days
  • Grizzly bear: 220 days
  • Orangutan: 260 days
  • Humans: 266 days
  • Dolphin: 276 days
  • Cow: 280 days (cows and people have more in common than you’d think!)
  • Horse: 336 days
  • Whale: 360 days
  • Giraffe: 425 days
  • African elephant: 640 days (that's almost two years!)
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